


The Dragon's Companion

by ArwingYoshi



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Biting, Dragon/Human Romance, Dragons, Eventual Smut, Interspecies Sex, M/M, Some Magical Elements, Urban Fantasy, Xeno, Xenophilia, chiss are basically were-dragons, dragon thrawn, urban fantasy with some steampunk elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:09:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26686432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArwingYoshi/pseuds/ArwingYoshi
Summary: Eli would never forget the day the dragon flew overhead, because that was the day he agreed to give himself to the dragon. What he didn't expect was that the dragon would turn out to be good company.
Relationships: Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Eli Vanto
Comments: 18
Kudos: 78





	1. Chapter 1

Eli still remembered the day the dragon flew overhead.

The day was overcast, and it was expected that they would get that night. Eli looked down at his clipboard, adding up totals of today’s shipments, standing in the shadow of the warehouse his family owned. Ever since he was thirteen, Eli had worked for his parents’ shipping company, since he had quite the gift for numbers and spreadsheets.

“Another day, another batch of mining parts sent out to Lothal.”

Eli looked up from his clipboard, taking his pen away from his lips where he’d been resting it. The young lady who had addressed him was one of his cousins, Amelia. Amelia was only a couple years younger than him, and the two got along quite well whenever they got a chance to spend time together. She mainly did deliveries and supply runs, since she owned her own ship. That ship was her pride and joy, so much that she never really let herself have much of a personal life outside of work and family.

“Once I’m done here, you wanna go get some dinner?” Eli offered.

“I’d like that.” Amelia took off her goggles and began to clean them on a cloth she kept in her pocket.

“I bought a new record, maybe we can listen to it together later,” Eli said.

“You’re so sweet,” Amelia said, tussling Eli’s hair playfully.

Eli just added up the final sum and was about to head into the warehouse office when they heard it. A roar louder than anything they’d ever heard, like a thunderclap. But when they looked up, there was no lightning. What they saw was a great, big blue shape fly directly overhead, casting a huge shadow as it passed over. For a moment, Eli thought it was a bird, but as he watched it fly, he realized it was no bird.

It was a dragon. And it was flying directly for the mountains just a few miles away from town. Everybody was now looking up at the sky, pointing to the dragon and uttering fearful cries. Those who were inside came out to see what the noise was all about and joined in on the fretting.

Eli exchanged glances with his cousin. When he was younger, he’d read stories about dragons, but he always thought they were just myths. The myths said that they would come down from their lairs to rain fire and chaos upon helpless villages, and that they were impossible to destroy. In the legends, once a dragon got settled in, they never left.

And it looked as though one had just moved into the mountains overlooking the village.

“Did you see that?” Amelia looked at Eli with wide eyes.

“Yeah,” Eli’s clipboard was shaking in his hands. “I don’t like the look of this.”

The two of them hurried inside. Eli made sure to stop by the office to turn in his paperwork, before he grabbed his things so he could head home. It was still twenty minutes before they officially closed for the night, but he was taking the rest of the day off.

“You going back to the lakeside pier?” He asked his cousin as he put on his coat.

“Not yet. Might be worth it to stick around a while longer. Besides, the old girl is due for some maintenance as long as we’re here, so I’m gonna have to stick around anyway.”

* * *

A town meeting was called that very night. Everybody in town attended, and didn’t even wait for the meeting to officially start before asking what was to be done about the creature they’d all seen that afternoon.

“We should march up to the mountain and slay it!”

“Did you see how big that thing is? It would roast us all with its fire or step on us before we even got a chance.”

“We should move the town!”

“I have a business here, I can’t just pack up and leave all that!”

The mayor banged his gavel for silence, calling for order. Everybody settled down. Eli sat next to his parents, his cousins sitting nearby with their own friends and families. He squirmed in his seat. What were they to do? The stories about dragons said they were intelligent and fierce, their scales harder than steel, and they were just a lowly village full of small businesses, and most of the emerging technology hadn’t even reached them yet. Only a few people owned cars, for example.

The mayor opened the floor to suggestions. Someone suggested a virgin sacrifice, but was quickly shut down. Then someone suggested that someone could sneak into the dragon’s lair and find its weakness, assuming it even had one. This was countered that such a thing might be a suicide mission and if the person was killed before they could report back, then it would all be for nothing.

Eli wanted to point out that they were just going in circles at this point, and not getting anywhere. Perhaps it would be best if everybody just moved away, or just hope that the dragon stayed where it was.

“I know what the dragon wants.”

Everyone turned towards the speaker. It was a man covered head to toe, with not an inch of skin showing. He wore a black, hooded robe, gloves, and a cloth over the bottom of his face. His eyes were covered by glasses with opaque green lenses. His voice was muffled by the cloth, but Eli could tell he had an accent that marked him as not being from around these parts.

All eyes were on the stranger, and he spoke again, “Send someone to the dragon, and he will leave you in peace.”

Hushed whispers went through the town hall. Eli never took his eyes off the stranger, and asked, “How do you know this?”

The stranger turned to him. “I am an expert in dragons. I know how they think and what they desire. I have been following this particular dragon for some time, and I know where he is hiding. Give me someone to give to the dragon and he will never harm you.”

More hushed whispers. Eli remembered the stories in which dragons took virgin sacrifices, or kidnapped maidens fair to hold them captive forever. He looked at Amelia, hugging one of her kid sisters. He looked around the town hall, at families whispering to each other, begging each other to not be the one to go.

Eli looked at the stranger again, who was looking right at him. Even with those glasses, Eli had the impression that the man was looking right into his soul, and silently communicating with him, as if he was reading his mind. Like he knew what Eli was about to say and that he should say it already.

Taking a deep breath, Eli stood up. “I’ll do it.”

Everyone looked at him, their eyes conveying relief and shock. His mother tugged on his sleeve. “Eli, no!”

“I’ll go with you,” Eli stated, and his voice only trembled a little. His parents stood and gripped both his arms.

“You don’t have to do this, son,” His dad begged.

“If not me, then who?” Eli countered, looking at them both. He pulled out of their hands and turned to face them. “Mom, dad, it’s my choice. If this is the only way to keep the town safe, then I’ll go.”

Even if that meant being a dragon’s dinner. If that was what it took, then so be it. He could only hope that the dragon didn’t keep asking for more sacrifices after it was done with him. Eli’s parents looked at him with tears in their eyes, before they both hugged him, and Eli hugged them back.

When they broke away, the stranger was standing right behind Eli now. “Your son is very brave,” He said to the Vantos. “The dragon will be most pleased. Tomorrow morning at seven o’clock, meet me outside of town, where the road to the mountain begins. I will be waiting for you and I will take you to the dragon.”

* * *

Eli was up at six, and bid his parents another tearful goodbye, feeling that this was the last time he was ever going to see them. But, he would gladly give up his life if it meant that they would be safe from the dragon. He was doing this for them, for everyone, he reminded himself

The stranger was right where he said he’d be, still dressed in a way that concealed his entire body and face. He stood near a car with a man behind the wheel. It seemed the stranger had paid the man to drive them to the base of the mountain, which would be quicker than walking. As they got in, Eli noticed that there was a large backpack in the compartment behind the back seats. He figured it was just the stranger’s things and sat in silence during the ride.

Once they reached the mountain, the stranger took his things, and gave the driver gold coins. Eli thought that was weird, since who carried gold coins around with them? Eli regretted that he’d probably never find out, since he was about to go right into a dragon’s den.

Eli watched the car drive off. Any chance he’d had to change his mind was now gone, since it was a fairly long walk back to town.

“Come,” The stranger said, hefting up his backpack and walking onto a nearby trail. Eli followed him. Just up ahead was a cave, and Eli felt as though he were walking into the pit of the Underworld. Or a dragon’s maw, with the stalactites looking very much like teeth.

“How do you know so much about dragons?” He asked.

“I have my ways,” The stranger replied. Eli frowned. He was going into a dragon’s den, the last the man could do was be straightforward with him.

“I’ve read about dragons in stories,” Eli said.

“And what do these stories tell you?”

“That dragons are intelligent, but also ferocious and destructive. They can burn down an entire town with just one breath of fire as they pass over. Some of the stories also say that they have magical powers and are all-knowing beings.”

“What else do the stories say?”

“That they take virgin maidens and devour them as sacrifices.”

The stranger paused and looked back at Eli, then let out a small sound that Eli soon realized was a chuckle. “And you believe these are factual accounts?”

“Well… I don’t know. I mean, nobody’s seen a real dragon in a very long time. I thought they were just myths until yesterday. But, they say that all stories have a grain of truth to them.”

“Some do,” The stranger said, and then they were within the cave. The stranger took out a lantern and lit it with a match. Eli kept his knees from shaking as he followed the man.

The walk was silent, with Eli making sure he didn’t lose track of his guide, while also glancing about the cave for anything that stood out. If the dragon chose not to kill him today, it would be a good idea to know the way out just in case he had to escape. But everything looked the same, and after the first few turns, Eli had trouble memorizing the route they took.

They walked for about two hours, going higher and higher up the mountain, taking a rest every once in a while. Then they stopped.

“We are here,”

Eli frowned with confusion, and his eyes widened as the stranger opened a door. A door, in the middle of a mountain tunnel? The stranger stepped through and Eli followed.

They were now inside a living room, to Eli’s surprise. It was still a cave chamber, but it had an old couch, a table with chairs, and other furniture. The furniture looked very old and dusty, but had been built sturdy. Sconces adorned the walls, lit up not by candles, but glowing crystals. Eli would have admired the crystals, were his stomach not tying itself in knots. But even with that fear, he had to ask, “What is all this?”

“This mountain was once used by bandits as a hideout,” The stranger replied. “When they were all arrested, their hideout was never uncovered and their things left behind.” Eli wondered if that included a stash of gold, like he’d paid the driver with. “There is also a kitchen and a bedroom, which I will show you later.”

Before Eli could ask what he meant by that, the stranger said, “Now, it is time for you to meet the dragon.”

“Before you do, can I at least know your name?”

The stranger regarded Eli, then replied, “My name is Thrawn.”

He waved Eli along, setting his backpack down on the couch, and moved through a short tunnel into another chamber. This one was huge, big enough to hold the mayor’s mansion two times over, and had a large tunnel that led outside. Unlike the other room, this one was barren, save for a pile of gold and other treasures in the corner. Among the loot was also some artwork that Eli guessed was very valuable.

But there was no dragon in sight. Eli gulped, “Is the dragon out hunting?”

“Actually, he’s home now.”

The stranger, Thrawn, turned to Eli and took off his glasses, revealing eyes that were red and glowing. Eli took a step back, fear spiking through him as those eyes bored into him. Next, Thrawn pulled back his hood, showing that he had blue-black hair, then off came the face covering, and Eli saw that he had blue skin. What _was_ this man?

Before Eli could ask, the cloak and gloves came off, leaving the strange man in nothing but his boots and a pair of pants. Eli took a second to admire his lean muscles, even as he took a step back from Thrawn.

“Who are you?” Eli’s voice was shaking.

Thrawn smirked and began to glow. The glow wasn’t harsh on the eyes, so Eli didn’t look away. Thrawn suddenly got bigger and changed shape. Eli backed up until he was hugging the rock wall, shaking hard now, watching as Thrawn grew talons and wings, his neck elongated and his head became more reptilian.

The glow faded and the dragon he’d seen yesterday now towered over him. His scales were the same blue as Thrawn’s skin, and his eyes glowed red. Eli held back a scream and clenched his eyes shut, waiting for the end.


	2. Chapter 2

As Eli waited for it, he wondered if the dragon would roast him alive, or just lunge forward and chomp down on him. He found himself hoping that the creature would go with the latter, because apparently being burnt to death was a very painful way to die. Being impaled by huge teeth would be a much quicker death. Eli could only hope the dragon was that merciful.

After thirty seconds, nothing happened, and Eli’s shaking subsided. Why was the dragon taking so long? Did he just like seeing his sacrifice quake like this before going in for the kill? Did dragons like to play with their food?

“You are afraid,” The dragon’s voice was the same as it was in his humanoid form. Eli had been expecting his voice to be loud and guttral when in dragon form, but instead it was surprisingly soft and almost gentle sounding.

Eli nodded, still keeping his eyes closed, because he was still convinced the dragon was going to make a meal out of him. “Of course I am. Just get it over with, please.”

A pause, and then the dragon said, “You think I brought you here as a sacrifice.” It wasn’t a question. “I thought as much, when you mentioned the stories of dragons taking virgin maidens for the purpose of killing or devouring them.” Another short pause, then Thrawn asked, “Will you not open your eyes and look upon me?”

Reluctantly, Eli’s cracked his eyes open. The dragon lay on his stomach, his arms crossed in front of him, almost like he was a big cat. A very big, blue cat with huge teeth and claws. Though, now that Eli got a good look at him, he realized that Thrawn wasn’t as huge as he originally thought. The dragon’s head was as big as Eli’s upper body, and his body was twice as big as an elephant’s. He probably could have squeezed into Eli’s living room.

Thrawn made no move to attack him, and Eli’s shaking subsided. If the dragon wanted to hurt him, he would have done so, and something about Thrawn’s body language said that he had no hostile intentions. _Look at you, reading a dragon’s body language like that’s a completely normal thing to do._ He thought to himself.

Eli remained leaning on the wall, one hand still pressed to it. “Why did you bring me here, then?”

“It’s quite simple. You are here to be my companion.” 

Eli blinked and tilted his head. “You said that if someone from the village was sacrificed, then you would leave them in peace.”

“Actually, if you recall, I said that the dragon, that is myself, wanted the town to send me someone. Never did I say that the intention was for the offered person to be killed or eaten.”

Eli thought back to the meeting and realized that Thrawn spoke true. Not once was death even mentioned when Thrawn said what he wanted. Everyone, Eli included, had simply jumped to the conclusion that was to be the case. After all, that was what the stories said. He suddenly felt rather foolish.

“You saw my parents beg me not to go, though.”

“Yes, because you were going away from home and they would miss you.”

It was an easy assumption to make, Eli had to admit. He was starting to feel relief that Thrawn wasn’t going to kill him after all, yet he still realized that he hadn’t really known what he’d been signing up for when he volunteered. Even if the stories of virgin sacrifices weren’t true in this case, different stories came to mind, where the dragon kept a fair princess captive. Not that Eli considered himself a princess, or a damsel in distress. He wasn’t a damsel, and the more he spoke to Thrawn the less distressed he felt. 

Eli finally let go of the wall and fully faced Thrawn. “You said I’m to be your companion? What exactly does that mean? Do I have to do something special?”

“You merely have to keep me company,” Thrawn explained. “I expect you to engage in conversation with me, and simply spend time with me.”

Eli raised an eyebrow, “You went to all this trouble just so you wouldn’t get lonely?”

“Perhaps.”

Eli expected him to say something more, but the dragon just left it at that. Feeling braver now, Eli approached Thrawn, craning his head up to look the dragon in the eye. “Then, if it’ll keep my town and everyone I love safe, I’ll be your companion.”

“Thank you, Eli. But, fear not, for I never had any intention to destroy the town.”

Eli’s eyes widened. “What? Then why...”

“After I flew over town, I came down to explore, and I saw how everyone had reacted to my sudden appearance. They were terrified. When I sneaked into your town meeting, I heard how they were planning to make an attempt on my life, or give up their livelihoods by moving away. Therefore, I said that if they sent me someone, then they would not have to worry.”

“Thus, they get peace of mind and you get your companion.” Eli wasn’t sure if he wanted to yell at Thrawn for being deceptive or commend him for being clever. “You could have just said that the dragon wasn’t going to hurt them. They might have believed you, since you claimed to be an expert in dragons.”

“Perhaps. However, I have found that humans can be irrational when in groups, in my short time observing them. I feared that mob mentality would take over, causing them to do something foolish. Humans tend to fear what they do not understand, no matter how much you try to convince them that that unknown being means them no harm.”

Eli had to admit that Thrawn had a point. Had the stranger not stepped in and given them the dragon’s demands, they might have grabbed their farming equipment or other makeshift weapons and stormed the mountain. Eli had listened to plenty of radio dramas where that happened.

“I must also request that you tell no one about my alternate form. I am more vulnerable in that form, and if someone were to find out that I am the same dragon that overlooks their town, then they may get the idea to do away with me.”

Thrawn was placing a great deal of trust with Eli, and it wasn’t lost on him. Their lives were in each other’s hands now.

“I won’t tell,” Eli replied. “I promise.”

“You are most kind, Eli.”

Eli felt his face heat up. He was speaking to a dragon, and being complimented by one. This whole scenario was like something out of a book he would read as a kid, or a dream. It was so surreal, Eli almost couldn’t believe this was really happening to him.

“I imagine you are tired,” Thrawn said. “Shall I show you to your room?”

“Sure,” Eli nodded. “I could use a nap after that hike.”

The dragon glowed and Thrawn shrank back down into humanoid form. When the glow faded, he was still shirtless, but kept the pants and boots. Eli figured it was some kind of dragon magic, though no legend he could recall said that dragons kept some clothes when they changed. Then again, he’d never heard a legend that said dragons could shapeshift into near-human forms, either.

“This way,” Thrawn waved Eli along, and the human followed him back into the smaller chamber. Eli took a moment to glance at the dragon’s humanoid form, noting once again how well-built he was. He wondered if dragons just naturally went around without shirts on when in this form.

Thrawn pointed to a tunnel to the left, “That way is the kitchen. The bandits who once inhabited this cave set up a stove and oven that taps into the natural gas from the mountain, so you may cook your meals. There is also an ice box where you may keep food.”

“Sounds like they were in it for the long haul,” Eli said.

“Indeed they were. They thought that nobody would ever find them up here and it would be the perfect hideout.”

“So how did they get caught?”

“Perhaps they were careless during a robbery and it led to their arrest. Or perhaps they were compromised and had to leave without coming back here. Now then,” He pointed to a tunnel going to the right. “That way is your room.”

Thrawn walked down that tunnel with Eli close behind. This chamber was about the size of his bedroom back in town, except it had two beds instead of just one. Against the wall was a bookshelf, already stocked with books. Eli guessed that one of the bandits liked to read. There was also a small table in the center, and a padded chair against the wall. Eli noticed a man-sized hole in the wall covered by a curtain.

“That would be the washroom,” Thrawn. “The former owners also installed plumbing.”

Thank all the gods for small miracles, Eli thought. To think, he was worried he would be sleeping on the cold cave floor and have to take baths in cave water.

Looking at the beds, Eli noticed that the covers and blankets weren’t faded or showing signs of wear and tear. In fact, they looked like the pillows and quilts that a woman in town made and sold from her shop. Eli had bought a quilt from that woman for his mother’s birthday one year.

He gazed at Thrawn, “You went shopping last night before bringing me here, didn’t you?”

“Indeed I did,” Thrawn sounded impressed with Eli’s skills of observation. “I also bought you clothing and food. The clothing is in the backpack in the living room, and the food is in the kitchen.”

Eli couldn’t help but feel touched. Thrawn went out of his way to make sure Eli had things he would need and would be comfortable. He wanted to make Eli feel like a housemate and not a pet. He was actually serious about wanting a companion, rather than someone he would keep for a week and then get bored of, which was something Eli was forced to admit he’d been worried about once he realized Thrawn wasn’t going to kill him. More than that, Thrawn was showing that he was willing to accommodate his new housemate.

The legends sometimes said that dragons could be loyal to one another. Perhaps that loyalty could extend to non-dragons too.

“I will leave you to rest now,” Thrawn said. “If you require me, I will be in my chamber.”

“Of course. Thank you for all this.”

A small smile touched Thrawn’s lips. “Of course, Eli.” With that, the blue man left the bedroom.

Eli didn’t even bother taking off anything other than his shoes before choosing a bed and climbing in. So this was his life now. Housemate and companion to a dragon. At least Thrawn was a friendly dragon, and Eli knew that he was telling the truth when he said that the town’s safety wasn’t really on the line. He wasn’t a monster, but just a soul who wished to be less lonely, even if he had to spin a yarn to get what he wanted.

Truely, he was in for some interesting times. Eli let these thoughts swim in his mind as he allowed fatigue to catch up with him and he settled in for a nap.


	3. Chapter 3

Eli awoke two hours later. Seeing an unfamiliar bedroom, it took a second for his memories to catch up with him. Oh yes, he was now living with the dragon he had been certain would be his death. He wondered how his parents were doing. They probably thought he was dragon food right now, which made Eli’s heart ache. He would have to ask Thrawn if there was a way he could get in touch with them and let them know that he was still alive and safe. Perhaps he could write to them, since he hadn't seen a phone when Thrawn gave him the tour.

For now, he decided to get settled in. He retrieved the backpack from the living room and dumped its contents onto the second bed. Just as Thrawn said, it was clothing. The garments weren't anything fancy, just some basic shirts and pants in different colors, along with some socks and undergarments. Eli's face became red at the thought of Thrawn buying him underwear, even if he had a perfectly logical reason to do so. Eli couldn't very well wear the same pair every day now, could he?

Once his clothes were put away in the drawers, Eli went to the kitchen. As promised, there was a stove and oven from the cave's previous owners. There was even a sink. Eli tested the appliances to make sure they still worked, then went to the ice box to look within. Thrawn had gotten him plenty of meat, along with eggs and some vegetables. Eli wondered where Thrawn had gotten the ice to line the box with. He next looked within the pantry, finding bread and other shelf-stable foods.

Feeling hungry all of a sudden, Eli made himself a sandwich. Afterwards, he went back to his room and stepped through the curtain to examine the bathroom. It had a tub with a shower-head and toilet. Eli figured the bathtub tapped into a cave lake or something. He unscrewed the shower-head and was relieved to see that it had a built-in filter. These bandits really had thought of everything. Lucky him that Thrawn had chosen this as his lair.

Eli treated himself to a shower, then dressed himself in some of his new clothes. Black pants and a white shirt. Now that he'd fed and cleaned himself up, Eli figured he might as well go see what his dragon housemate was up to.

Thrawn was in the massive chamber, in dragon form. He lay on his stomach, his front legs crossed in front of him, glowing red eyes fixed on the treasure. The artwork had been pulled out from the pile and laid out. As Eli came closer, Thrawn turned his head towards him. It still felt unnerving to be studied by those eyes.

“Did you sleep well, Eli?”

“Yeah,” Eli glanced at the artwork. “Are you sorting through your treasure?”

“I wished to examine the artwork that the bandits stole.”

Eli looked at the pieces. They consisted of five paintings, two marble sculptures and some wood carvings. They had to have been worth a lot of money if the cave’s previous owners had taken them. Eli guessed that they’d been waiting until things cooled off before going to sell them, but never got the chance.

“What do you make of this piece, Eli?” A huge, blue-scaled foreleg brushed past him and pointed at one of the wood carvings. Eli noticed that the dragon had thumbs, which he found interesting. He tore his eyes away from Thrawn’s hand and at the carving.

The piece depicted a great tree. Within the tree’s branches were many fruits shaped like stars. There were patterns all along the thick trunk that Eli didn’t recognize.

“I think it’s a tree, but it’s got fruit that I’ve never seen in nature.”

“Indeed,” The dragon lowered his foreleg, resting it right beside Eli. Eli was suddenly filled with the urge to reach out and touch Thrawn scales, to see what they felt like. But, that would probably be considered impolite. After all, he wouldn’t touch a human without permission just to see what their skin or hair felt like. Still, Eli noticed that Thrawn’s scales glittered like freshly fallen snow, if snow was blue.

Thrawn continued, “The tree is symbolic. It represents history and lineage, with each star fruit representing a major historical event. The carvings on the trunk are made whenever someone within their society reaches adulthood.”

“It must be worth a lot of money, if these bandits stole it.”

“On the contrary. I do not believe this piece is worth very much money, for the wood it is carved from is quite common and this civilization is still alive and making such pieces.”

Eli looked back at Thrawn, confusion drawn on his face. “Then why did these guys steal it?”

“To return it to its rightful owners, of course. I have come to believe that the bandits who once lived here were not common thieves, motivated by greed. They only stole from the very wealthy, and the artwork was taken with the intent to return it to its rightful owners, because the pieces were originally stolen by the wealthy who did not understand their true value.”

“You got all of that just by looking at these pieces?” Eli asked, sounding very impressed. “Is that a dragon thing or a you thing?”

“The latter.” Thrawn gazed at the artwork once more. “Art can tell you much about a culture, species or person. Study artwork, and you learn the heart of the artist. The jewelry also told me that this was the case, because it is far too varied to have been stolen from merchants and you do not seem many below the upper class wearing such expensive-looking items.”

Eli looked at the wood carvings, then back up at Thrawn. “Do you think it’s still possible to return these pieces to their rightful owners?”

“It might be, once we find out who those rightful owners are.”

Easier said than done, unfortunately. Thrawn could read these pieces, but he’d given no hints that he knew who they belonged to. Perhaps there was a clue somewhere in the lair, like a ledger or a book. Eli would have to look through the books in his room to see if they had any answers.

“Hopefully the wood carvings aren’t a fire hazard,” Eli quipped. He looked up at Thrawn, but the dragon wasn’t laughing. “You know, because dragons breathe fire.”

“Actually, my particular species of dragon breathes ice.”

“Oh,” That idea had never even entered his mind. He’d just assumed that all dragons breathed fire. “‘My particular species’? Does that mean there are other kinds of dragons out there?”

“Indeed there are. Many kinds, from many different lands. Some dragons do indeed breathe fire, while others breathe lightning, or create sonic booms rather than breathe any particular element. Some dragons come from volcanic regions, while others live within the sea.”

“Can you tell me about your people?” Eli sat cross-legged in front of Thrawn, getting comfortable. “Where do you come from? What are your people like?”

Thrawn stood up and took a few steps back, before he lay back down and rested his head on the ground, so Eli wouldn’t have to crane his head up.

“Dragons like me are from an ice region known as Csilla. We are ruled by the Nine Ruling Families, and we are very loyal to one another.”

Eli leaned forward slightly. Getting to learn all of this was actually pretty amazing. Dragons had a culture, and a government. All this time he thought of dragons as just highly intelligent beasts who went around causing trouble and lived in caves like animals. But far from it, they were a people and a culture. How had Eli ever looked upon Thrawn and thought of him anything but a sophisticated individual?

“What are you doing so far from home? Did you get lost or did you just want to see the world?”

Thrawn shifted slightly. “Might I ask you something, Eli? If you were to encounter an enemy that had hurt others, but had yet to hurt you, but might in the future, what would you do if you had the power to stop them?”

What an odd question. “I guess I’d do what I could to stop them before they could hurt anyone else, including myself.”

“That is my thought as well. Unfortunately, the ruling families did not agree with me. Csillan dragons do not believe in attacking those who have not attacked us first, while I believe we had a responsibility to help others without waiting for us to be affected personally. For that, I was exiled.”

Eli frowned sadly. “I’m sorry.”

Thrawn inched his head closer to Eli. “It is not a full exile. I may return in time, but I doubt many will be happy to see me.”

That was something, at least, but Eli still felt sad for the dragon. “Do you have any family or friends?”

“I have a brother, actually. His name is Thrass.”

“Tell me about him.”

“He is a high-ranking member within my family. He is very intelligent, and has a greater understanding of politics than I do. He has done his best to keep me out of trouble ever since we were dragonlings.”

Eli suddenly got a mental image of Thrawn as a tiny dragon, who could turn into a blue-skinned child. It was actually quite cute to imagine.

“We were each other’s best friends throughout childhood, and were always there for one another,” There was an unmistakable wistfulness in his voice. Perhaps even a tinge of sadness. It made Eli’s heart ache to hear this powerful creature express such vulnerability. Thrawn clearly missed his brother a lot. No wonder he’d wanted someone to ease that loneliness.

Without even thinking about it, Eli reached forward and patted Thrawn’s snout comfortingly. The dragon closed his eyes and leaned into the touch, to Eli’s surprise. To think, Eli had actually been scared of him at first.

“Maybe you’ll see him again one day.”

“Perhaps.”

Thrawn raised his head, slipping away from Eli’s hand, and shrank back into humanoid form. He’d taken off the boots, and now just wore the black pants. Thrawn approached the pile of treasure, “Will you help me organize this?”

“Sure,” Eli stood up and went to join Thrawn.

They spent the next hour sorting through the pile of long-forgotten loot. Most of it was coins, though they also ended up with a large pile of gemstones, jewelry, and other odd treasures such as golden cups, silver plates, and figurines that looked like they cost more than Eli made in a month. They put the figurines in with the art, so Thrawn could study them later.

All the while they talked. Thrawn spoke of his life with the dragons of Csilla and his brother, while Eli spoke of his family’s shipping company and his relatives. He had no siblings, but he did have a few cousins. Thrawn hung onto his every word, like Eli was the most interesting person in the world, even if Eli himself didn’t really feel like he was. It was actually quite flattering that such a powerful being like Thrawn found him so interesting.

“What are you going to do with all this?” Eli asked, holding up a pearl necklace from the jewelry pile.

“I was thinking of selling it to a merchant, or using it for bartering,” Thrawn shrugged.

“What if the people it belonged to want it back after all this time?” Some of the jewelry was rather distinct, like a gaudy tiara, or an armband that resembled a snake with emerald eyes. “What if some of these are family heirlooms?”

“The bandits stole from the wealthy, but they did not take family trinkets from those who rightfully owned them.”

“Did the artwork tell you that?”

“Perhaps.”

Eli gave Thrawn a sideways look, but the dragon continued to examine a stone figurine of a unicorn, before placing it on the ground and picking up a crystal carved into the shape of a rose.

“Well, you can pretty much buy anything you want with all these coins,” Eli said. “I already guessed it’s what you used to buy stuff for me, and pay the driver the other day.”

“You would be correct. You are very observant, Eli.”

Eli’s face warmed up and he went back to sorting jewelry, before moving on to the gemstones. These had to be worth even more than the gold. As he worked, he kept stealing glances at Thrawn. Whenever the dragon looked his way, though, Eli went right back to focusing on the treasure.

“Tell me more about the stories you have heard of my kind, Eli.”

“Um… they aren’t very flattering.”

“I still wish to hear them.”

“Well, the stories say that you have magical powers. Like, you can place curses on humans or stuff like that. I’m guessing that the whole shapeshifting thing is magic, so that one is sorta true.”

“Indeed, that is done through magic, as is our ability to breathe ice. However, that is the limit of our magical capabilities. We do not have the power to place curses on others.”

It did seem rather silly, now that Eli thought about it. “The stories also make it seem like you’re creatures of destruction, just waiting for opportunities to destroy towns, and that you leave death in your wake.” Eli braced himself for Thrawn’s reaction, but he had warned the dragon that the stories weren’t very kind.

To his surprise, Thrawn just smiled softly. “I believe that it’s safe to say that over time, stories of my kind became warped.”

Eli relaxed and laughed softly. “That they did.”

It surprised Eli how easy it was to converse with Thrawn, and just relax around him. Thrawn was good company, someone you could have an intelligent conversation with, and Eli found that he could be honest with the dragon. It wasn’t long before the treasure was forgotten in favor of just sitting and talking with one another. He didn’t even realize another couple of hours had gone by, so absorbed in his and Thrawn’s conversation, before his stomach began to protest.

“I think I’m gonna go fix myself something for dinner.”

Eli stood up and made his way to the tunnel leading to the other section of the cave. He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Thrawn following him. “Perhaps I will join you.”

“I thought dragons hunted for their food.”

“We do,” Thrawn said. “But we also eat in more civilized manners too.”

Well, Eli was learning more things about Thrawn and dragons in general today. “By all means, then.” He continued, stepping into the living room and then the kitchen. “Lucky me you found a cave that has a stove.”

“On the contrary, it was not luck at all.”

Eli paused and looked over his shoulder at Thrawn. “Come again?”

“When I first came to this continent, I heard stories of a group of bandits who were said to have made their hideout within a mountain cave, even though said hideout was never located. I was able to piece together clues as to its location, and because I wanted my future companion to live in comfort, I selected this as my lair.”

Once again, Eli was blown away by Thrawn’s intelligence and ability to think ahead. Not to mention his kindness. Thrawn didn’t have to go out of his way like that, and could have just told any human he snagged to sleep on a pile of rags and like it. But he’d specifically made sure that he found somewhere that had appliances, plumbing, and a place for him to sleep in comfort. Eli found his respect for Thrawn had just gone up.

“Thanks,” Eli whispered. “For going out of your way to find this place, I mean.”

“Think nothing of it, Eli.”


	4. Chapter 4

By the time a week had gone by, Eli and Thrawn had more or less settled into a routine. Eli would get up, make breakfast, spend some time with Thrawn until they ran out of things to discuss, find something to read, have lunch, then the afternoon would be a mixture of spending time with Thrawn and finding something to occupy his time. Most of the time, Thrawn would go out and hunt for food in dragon form, but he also liked to have his meals with Eli once in a while. One time, Thrawn had actually come home with a pair of skinned rabbits for them to have for dinner. Judging by the blood on Thrawn’s hands, Eli knew that he hadn’t bought those at the butcher down in town. Eli had made a stew out of them, which Thrawn seemed to like.

The books turned out to be a mixture of novels, history books, an anthropology book, and, to Eli’s surprise, an alchemy and potions tome. The novels were mainly mystery books, and a few romances. Thrawn liked hearing Eli talk about whatever he was reading. The both of them had read over the history and anthropology books to see if there were any clues regarding the artwork. 

So far, they’d only managed to figure out that one of the paintings, that of a woman wearing a revealing silk dress in repose, was of a duke’s much younger wife. Thrawn’s theory was that the wife had left the duke, and thus the painting had been stolen on her behalf because she wanted no reminders that she had once been married to the man. If she was still alive, they would ask if she wanted it returned to her. Otherwise, Thrawn intended to keep it.

When the romance novel he’d been reading got trite, Eli picked up the potions book out of curiosity. He’d taken chemistry in high school and found it an interesting subject, and the things in the book were basically chemistry, only they produced magic potions. Chemistry involved lots of math, and potion making was no different. Luckily for Eli, he found a mortar in the kitchen, and some empty wine bottles would serve as potion bottles. A fondue pot could serve as a cauldron. Some of the ingredients would be easy enough to find, like the flowers and weeds, but others he wasn’t so sure about. How exactly did one find enough butterfly wings to make an invisibility potion?

Eli figured that the next time Thrawn went out on one of his flights, he could bring back some plants to experiment with. Or better yet, he could actually request that Thrawn show him the way out of the cave system so he could run the errand himself. Thrawn didn’t go out much, since he feared what would happen if someone got a glance at his inhuman skin and eyes, and he mostly left the mountain to stretch his wings at night.

Sometimes, Eli would make his way to the opening Thrawn used to fly out of the cave and look out at the town below. If he was honest, sometimes he got homesick. Eli had written to his parents telling them that he was fine, which Thrawn had made sure got delivered, but he still missed them. He liked Thrawn, but it was hard to forget that Eli had given up so much when he agreed to go with him.

But, Eli couldn’t leave whenever he wanted, because he didn’t know his way through the tunnel and Thrawn hadn’t marked the passages. He’d asked Thrawn if they could go down and visit, but Thrawn had said that if the townsfolk saw Eli, then they might jump to one of two conclusions. Either they would assume that Eli had escaped and the dragon would be angry, or they would assume that the dragon had become unsatisfied with his tribute and would soon demand another.

Eli had conceded his point. In the stories, dragons rarely showed as much kindness as Thrawn had shown him. It would take a lot to prove to everyone that Thrawn was good and meant them no harm. It had been Eli’s choice to stay with Thrawn, and he would keep his promise. Perhaps one day it would be safe enough to leave for a little while and see his family again.

Today, Eli was dusting around the living room, when Thrawn approached him. The dragon was in humanoid form, and wore the full-body disguise he’d had on when they first met, only with his face and eyes still exposed.

“I am going for a nature walk today. Would you like to join me?”

“Sure. Just give me a minute to get ready.” Eli could use a relief from the cabin fever that was starting to set in.

Once Eli put on his boots, the two of them packed a picnic lunch and left through the doorway leading to the mountain tunnels. Like before, Thrawn brought out a lantern and led the way out. Once they reached the outdoors, Thrawn put up the mouth covering cloth and put on his tinted glasses. Even if they weren’t likely to run into anybody out here, it was better to be cautious.

Eli glanced at the dirt road leading into town. It would be so easy to run from Thrawn and just bolt it back home. Eli brushed such thoughts aside and followed Thrawn as he walked down a trail that led deeper into the woods.

As they walked, Eli glanced at everything. Every bird and small mammal caught his attention, and he noticed every single plant they passed by. He decided to collect some weeds and flowers when they made their way back, for potion making and just to add some color to the cave. Yet, as they walked, his eyes always went back to Thrawn. Whenever Thrawn would shift his gaze to him, Eli would quickly look at the plants again. They made idle chatter, which Eli was thankful for, and by the time noon rolled around, Eli could see an opening in the trees.

They emerged onto a spot with a vast lake. “Shall we picnic here?” Thrawn asked.

“Sure,” Eli nodded. “This is perfect.”

After laying out the blanket on the grass, they ate their lunch, consisting of a pair of ham sandwiches, boiled eggs, and some fruit. They listened to the sounds of nature as they ate, just enjoying the peace. Eli intended to savor this before they had to go back to the cave.

When they finished, they sat and gazed at the lake for a few minutes, before Eli asked, “Do you swim?”

Thrawn turned to Eli, “I do swim, yes.”

“You wanna take a dip?” Thrawn blinked at him. “In the lake.”

“Oh,” Thrawn looked at the water, then back at Eli. “It would be a relief from the sun, I suppose.”

“Great!” Not that Eli would have let that stop him, if Thrawn had been content to just wait on shore. Eli took off his boots, then proceeded to take his shirt and pants off, leaving him in his boxer-briefs.

Thrawn was doing the same thing, stripping off the boots, hooded cloak, and pants. Eli took a moment to gaze over Thrawn’s mostly nude body. He’d seen Thrawn shirtless many times, of course, but this seemed different. He’d never seen Thrawn this exposed in his humanoid form. He really was quite lovely. Yet, as Eli looked upon him, there was the sense that even in humanoid form, Thrawn was powerful and confident, someone you didn’t want to mess with.

The both of them waded into the lake. Once he was far out enough, Eli lowered his body into the water and shivered at the coldness. He looked over at Thrawn, and noticed that he wasn’t so much as quivering as he swam further out. It made sense, Eli guessed, since Thrawn’s people were ice dragons.

Once his body got used to the water temperature, Eli swam further out, shifting to float on his back while doing backstrokes. He heard Thrawn swim about idly.

Suddenly feeling mischievous, Eli shifted so he could tread water and swam up to Thrawn. He then gently splashed the dragon. Thrawn raised an eyebrow at him, and Eli did it again, grinning widely.

Rather than splashing back, Thrawn let himself sink below the water, leaving Eli confused.

He got his answer when he saw the familiar blue glow beneath the water, watching as it expanded into a large reptilian shape. Eli wondered if he should high-tail it back to shore, but instead he continued to tread water, watching the glow fade as Thrawn took his draconic form beneath the surface. The dragon’s head rose up from the lake, looking like some great water serpent, followed by his wings.

Eli watched as one of Thrawn’s wings drew back, his eyes widening with realization. Before he could swim away, Thrawn flapped his wing, creating a wave that swept Eli away and made him tumble through the water. When Eli’s head stopped spinning, he righted himself and swam in place once more.

“Okay, you win.”

Thrawn dived back down below the water and swam over until he was right below Eli. Eli dreaded what Thrawn was going to do next, but the dragon just slowly rose up. Eli felt his feet touch scaled flesh, and the dragon continued to rise until Eli was forced to sit down on his friend’s back. Now Thrawn’s back, wings and head were above the water, while his legs gently kicked in place to keep him afloat. Eli got gooseflesh as the air touched his wet skin and he considered sliding off the dragon, back into the water. Thrawn turned his neck so that he could face Eli.

“Take a deep breath and hold on to me.”

Eli did as told, wrapping his arms around Thrawn’s neck and taking a deep breath. He couldn’t help but notice how smooth Thrawn’s scales felt. The dragon dived back down beneath the water and began to swim, moving like some great eel, fish darting past them once or twice. Thrawn was a very strong swimmer in this form, and Eli found himself enjoying the sensation of gliding through the water.

Thrawn then took them lower, until they could see the bottom of the lake. Eli gazed upon the bottom-feeding fish and crabs that lived down there, marvelling at the sights of nature that he otherwise might have missed out on.

Right as he felt like his lungs were about to burst, Thrawn took them back upward. The second they breached the surface, Eli gasped, air filling his lungs once more. He heard Thrawn do the same thing.

Thrawn turned his head towards Eli again. “Did you enjoy that?”

“You bet I did.”

“Good.” Thrawn checked the position of the sun. “We should return home.”

Eli allowed Thrawn to carry him back to shore, hopping off his back once they reached shallow waters. As Eli used the picnic blanket to dry himself off, Thrawn returned to humanoid form and dried himself off once Eli handed him the blanket. Once they were dressed and the picnic supplies put away, the two began the hike back to the mountain.


	5. Chapter 5

Eli stirred the potion within the fondue pot, watching it turn a bright green color. Wafting the scent into his nose, he nodded and turned the stove off. He took an empty wine bottle, a funnel and ladled the potion into it.

“What potion is that, Eli?”

Eli looked over at Thrawn as he entered the kitchen. The dragon was shirtless, as usual.

“If I did it right, it’s a healing potion,” Eli pointed to the page the potions book was currently turned to. Thrawn approached Eli and looked over his shoulder at the page. Eli felt his face warm up at Thrawn’s closeness. “But if I didn’t do it right, then it’s just green stuff.”

Perhaps he’d test it out if he ever hurt himself while cooking or got a paper cut. For now, Eli capped the bottle, labeled it, and put it with the other potions he’d made. One was a red potion that was supposed to be ‘fire in a bottle’ while another was a black tar-like substance. Eli had been intending to make a substance that would supposedly remove any stain from cloth, but he’d overcooked it. He didn’t know why he chose to keep it anyway.

Eli turned back towards Thrawn. “Did you need something?”

“No, I just wished to see how you were doing with your potions.”

“Pretty good, thanks for asking.”

Thrawn had been doing that a lot as of late, rather than just wait for Eli to come to him. Eli would be reading in the living room and Thrawn would select a book for himself to read, or he would join Eli in the kitchen to help prepare dinner. Not that Eli was complaining. He had actually gotten used to Thrawn walking around with no shirt, even if he still let himself ogle when he was sure Thrawn wasn’t paying attention. Eli had even asked him about it, and Thrawn told him that he was still getting used to a climate that was warmer than his homeland.

Eli picked up his potions book and flipped through it, until he found another potion that looked interesting. “Take a look at this,” Thrawn approached Eli and looked over his shoulder again. Eli felt butterflies fill his stomach. “This one is supposed to allow someone to breath underwater. Might be useful for treasure diving, or if we wanna take another walk down to the lake.”

“Interesting,” Thrawn’s eyes scanned the page. “That one requires fish scales. We shall have to remember to catch some fish next time we are near water.”

“Sure,” Eli said. Thrawn pulled away and Eli felt the loss of the dragon’s closeness. “Thrawn?” Eli swallowed and asked, “When are you going flying next?”

“Tonight. Why do you ask?”

“Because,” Eli steeled himself. The worst Thrawn would do was say no. “I liked riding on you back at the lake... I was wondering if we could do it again. You know, except in the air instead of in the water.”

Already, a million reasons why Thrawn would reject his request had run through his mind. Falling off Thrawn in the water was one thing, but falling off his back in the air was much more risky, for starters. Or Thrawn would tell him that the water made it easier to carry him, but dragons weren’t meant to be ridden during flight. Or dragons could be ridden but required special gear that he didn’t have.

Eli was fully prepared for Thrawn to tell him no and that would be that. Eli would find a way to entertain himself as usual when Thrawn went out.

“Certainly, Eli.”

Eli’s eyes widened. “You mean it?”

“Of course. If that is what you desire, then you shall go with me when I take my flight.”

Relief surged through Eli. Thrawn said yes. They were going to fly together tonight.

“Meet me in the treasure chamber after sundown. And dress warmly.”

* * *

That evening, when the sun had gone down and the stars were out, Eli entered the treasure chamber to find Thrawn waiting for him in dragon form. As promised, Eli wore a jacket. Since it was summer, the nights weren’t freezing, but they were going to be in the air and the wind would make things chilly.

As Eli came closer, Thrawn lowered himself to the floor and nodded at his back. Eli paused and asked, “You’re sure this is okay and you won’t mind carrying me?”

“Eli, I am very strong and weigh much more than you do in this form.”

Eli nodded shyly. “Alright.” He approached Thrawn and put his hands on his scaly hide, lifting himself up, using Thrawn’s shoulder as a footstool, and climbing up onto the dragon’s back. The dragon didn’t even grunt at the added weight. Eli settled in, sitting up with his legs on either side of Thrawn’s body, and his hands went to Thrawn’s neck. Just like at the lake, Eli thought about how smooth Thrawn’s scales felt, and he wanted to run his hand over them.

As Thrawn stood and began to walk towards the mountain exit, Eli suddenly felt nervous, his guts twisting with anticipation. He’d never even ridden a horse before, and here he was, about to ride a dragon.

But, he trusted Thrawn. The dragon would surely make sure that he didn’t fall off, or would catch him if he did.

When they reached the lip of the opening, Eli peeked around Thrawn’s neck. He could see his town down there. There were very few lights still on, since it was around that time of night when people were tucking themselves in. What would his parents think if they knew what their son was up to?

Thrawn turned his head to look back at Eli and asked, “Are you sure you wish to do this? You may hop off right now if you are not up to it.”

“I want to do this.” Eli gently stroked Thrawn’s neck in a reassuring manner. “I want to see what it’s like to fly.”

“And so you shall.” Thrawn faced forward again. “Here we go.”

Thrawn braced himself on the edge of the opening, giving his hind quarters a small shake like a cat, all while Eli tensed with anticipation, squeezing Thrawn with his legs. This was it.

Finally, Thrawn launched himself out of the cave and into open air, making Eli’s stomach lurch. The dragon spread his wings and made a U-turn in mid-air, so he was flying away from town and over the forest. While he did this, Eli felt like his insides were doing somersaults while the wind assaulted his hair. He was glad he’d worn the jacket.

His stomach began to ease up as Thrawn spread his wings and just let himself glide. “Are you alright, Eli?”

“Yeah,” Eli took a moment to just let himself calm down and breathe. “Just not used to this kinda thing, y’know.”

“Understandable.”

As Thrawn soared over the trees, Eli never once looked down, because he knew that if he did, he would demand that Thrawn take him home, and he didn’t want that. He wanted to keep flying, and share this experience with Thrawn. Instead, he kept his eyes forward, seeing the lake they’d visited earlier that week. What had been a two hour hike was a ten minute flight on dragonback.

Eli began to smile widely as he let himself just relax and enjoy this. Under his legs, he felt Thrawn’s muscles flex as he flapped his wings to keep them afloat. In the moonlight, those blue scales glittered like aquamarine. Even though Thrawn was the only dragon he’d ever met, Eli decided that he was the most gorgeous dragon ever.

When they were right above the lake, Thrawn began to fly higher. Eli lay himself flat on Thrawn’s back, making sure he had a secure grip on the dragon, his stomach lurching again. Right as Eli thought they were going to touch the clouds, Thrawn leveled out and began to soar again. This time, Eli did look down and his eyes widened at how high up they were. There was fear, but it was overridden by adrenaline and amazement at the view down below. They were so high up, everything below looked like a model, like he used to play with when he was a kid.

Eli sat up and let go of Thrawn’s neck, spreading his arms wide and laughing with joy. This was the greatest thrill of his life. Nothing could compare to riding on a dragon. It was amazing. Thrawn was amazing.

“Shall I go faster?”

“Yes!” Eli lay back down and resumed his grip on Thrawn. “Gods yes!”

Thrawn glanced for a second back to make sure Eli wasn’t about to fall off, then dove back down, rapidly descending like a bike going down a very steep hill. Eli felt like his insides were going to fly out of his body as he whooped with excitement. The wind stung his face and made his eyes water. This time when Thrawn leveled out, he didn’t slow down. He shot through the air like a bullet. Eli laughed again, feeling outright giddy from all the adrenaline churning up inside him from the ride.

He felt Thrawn start to gradually slow down, and the dragon made another U-turn, going back towards the mountain. Eli sat up again, watching the scenery before him and below him as the mountain got closer. He was sad that it was over, though he looked at the moon and figured that it was getting late. Besides, that was probably enough for his first dragon flight.

They flew through the mountain opening, where Thrawn gracefully touched down and walked inside. Once they were out of the tunnel and in the treasure chamber again, the dragon lowered himself down and let Eli slide off him. It was only when Eli moved to climb down that he realized how stiff he was from holding onto Thrawn with his hands and legs. He grunted as he touched the floor.

“Did you have fun, Eli?”

Despite his achiness, Eli grinned up at Thrawn. “Hell yeah! We should do that again sometime.”

“I would like that.” Rather than get up, Thrawn made himself comfortable on the floor and lay his head down. “I had fun as well.”

“I’m glad,” Eli yawned, which was his cue to ready himself for sleep too. He bade the dragon goodnight and made his way to the bedroom.

After changing into some sleeping clothes, Eli sat down on his bed, but rather than lay down, he paused. He looked at his bed, then at the door to his room.

Making up his mind, he gathered his pillow and quilt and left the bedroom, going back to the treasure chamber. Thrawn was still there, his eyes closed and his breathing steady. Eli couldn’t tell if he was already asleep or not. Approaching the dragon, Eli laid out his pillow and quilt right next to Thrawn’s body and lay down beside him, his back touching the dragon’s scaly hide. Thrawn felt nice and warm.

A great, red eye opened up and gazed at Eli. For a moment, Eli worried that Thrawn would tell him to go back to his room, or just push him away. Instead, the dragon curled up tighter, positioning his head and tail closer to Eli. He could have reached out and touched the dragon’s snout if he chose to. One of his wings unfolded and came down to cover Eli, like he was inside a tent. Between the dragon’s body heat and being covered up by a wing, Eli felt warm and safe.

Snuggling up against Thrawn, Eli let himself drift off to sleep. He dreamt about flying that night.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here be smut. Hope you enjoy.

When Eli awoke, everything was blue. He raised a hand to his face to rub the sleep out, and it was blue too. As his eyes adjusted, he looked up at a vast blue membrane. He wanted to snuggle up against the dragon’s body again and go back to sleep, but the giant wing lifted, revealing a large, reptilian head gazing at him. Eli made a small disappointed noise, not wanting to leave the comforting shelter of that wing.

“Did you sleep well, Eli?”

Thrawn’s expressions in either form had been difficult to get a read on at first, but the more time Eli spent around him, the better he’d gotten at it. The dragon was giving him a soft look at the moment. Seeing it made Eli’s heart beat faster.

“Yeah,” Eli sat up and stretched. “You know, for an ice dragon, you’re pretty warm.”

“Dragons are warm-blooded,” Thrawn explained. “Including my species. Though, our bodies are still less warm than a typical dragon’s, or even a human’s.”

“Now that you mention it, I did notice that,” Even with Thrawn’s body keeping him warm, especially with the wing trapping the heat around him, Eli had noticed that the dragon’s body temperature was lower than his own. But, it wasn’t as if Thrawn was icy cold. Otherwise, Eli would have gone back to his own bed.

Gathering up his quilt and pillow, Eli stood up, “I’m gonna toss these in the wash before breakfast.” The cave didn’t have machines for washing and drying clothes, but Eli knew how to wash clothing by hand and he’d set up a clothesline in the living room.

“I will meet you in the kitchen,” The dragon shifted to humanoid form and walked into the main part of the cave. Eli couldn’t help but watch his backside before going to his bathroom to dump the quilt on the floor.

After breakfast and doing the laundry, Eli retreated to his bedroom to do some reading while Thrawn sat in the living room and looked over an atlas, with some of the art pieces sprawled out on the coffee table. Eli’s selected reading was another romance novel, which, ironically, was about a knight who rescued a princess from a fearsome monster keeping her captive. If a knight were to come along with intent to rescue him, he would do everything he could to talk them into leaving. Nobody would slay his dragon.

Eli paused in his reading. Was that how he thought of Thrawn now? His dragon. Or was Eli _Thrawn’s_ human?

The stories didn’t include tales where the human willingly stayed with the dragon and befriended them. Nor were there tales where the human wanted to be more than friends with the dragon.

Eli closed the book and went to put it back on the shelf, then scanned for something longer to read. He needed something to get his mind of something that could never be. His eyes landed on a thick, leather-bound book with no title on the spine. Curious, Eli slid it out, figuring that it could be anything from an epic tale to just someone’s rambling journal. Eli opened it up and a slip of paper fell out.

Tucking the book under his arm, Eli bent down to pick up the paper and open it. They were directions. Not just directions, but instructions on how to navigate the tunnels in this very mountain, and unlock the door that led into the cave home. The handwriting didn’t match Thrawn’s elegant script.

“Hey, Thrawn,” He called. “Can you come in here for a moment?”

A few seconds later, Thrawn pushed aside the curtain separating Eli’s bedroom from the common room, and stepped within. “What is it, Eli?”

Eli held up the note, “Take a look at what I found.”

Thrawn plucked the note from Eli’s fingers and opened it up. His face remained impassive, and he looked back at Eli. “Yes, these are directions so someone does not get lost within the caves.”

“Except when you first came here, you didn’t go through the tunnels, you flew in. That’s also not your handwriting.”

“No, it is not,” Thrawn sounded like a patient teacher waiting for their student to reach a certain conclusion. Eli narrowed his eyes at him.

“Someone wrote it for you,” He said. Thrawn stared at him some more, and Eli almost found it creepy. He was waiting for Eli to continue, he realized. “No, you found it, just like I did.”

“There are lots of books on that shelf,” Thrawn pointed out, glancing at the bookshelf in question. “Do you think I just happened to open up a book, found the note and still had time to hike through the mountain and get into town with enough time to explore before your town meeting?”

No, Eli realized. Why would Thrawn randomly decide to just flip through the books on the shelf when he was getting settled into his new home? No, Thrawn knew ahead of time that someone had left directions and hidden it away in a book. That begged the question of how Thrawn knew that a book contained the note in the first place. Then it hit him.

“Someone told you about the note, and which book it was in.”

Thrawn smirked. “Very good.” He held up the note. “I wasn’t lying when I said that I had figured out where this cave was. That part was simple. But I knew that there would be a hidden entrance, so I began tracking the bandits themselves to gain the information I required. I found their leader, Nightswan, and we had a civil conversation. I explained that I deemed his old lair a suitable habitat for myself and my future companion, and he seemed to understand. He did not tell me the circumstances in which his gang had to flee their hideout, but he did mention that his greatest regret was never being able to return certain items to those who rightfully owned them. I promised him that I would do so, and he told me that when he and his gang first began using that cave, they made sure to document the directions through the tunnels, and hid it away. He told me where to find it.”

Eli thought he saw a hint of something in Thrawn’s eyes. “Did you want him as your roommate?”

“I offered it to him, but he turned me down,” Thrawn explained, putting the note back in the book and slipping it back onto the shelf. “He did not want the reminders of his failure, nor did he want to give up his life of travel. I like to think that we could have been friends.”

“Well, I can’t say that I begrudge him,” Eli said. “I mean, otherwise, we might not have met and I wouldn’t have volunteered. Pretty happy accident, wasn’t it?” He chuckled. Thrawn didn’t say anything, keeping his eyes on the books. Eli grew suspicious and stepped closer to him.

Thrawn still looked at the books, and Eli was about to demand that he look at him, when the dragon finally turned around to face him. To others, he looked stoic, his face that of stone. To Eli, his face was that of someone who had been caught.

“You wanted me all along, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Thrawn confessed. “When I first came into town, a few hours before the meeting, I saw you. I knew immediately that you were the one I wanted. When I came and asked for a volunteer, I had a suspicion that you would agree to go with me if it meant others would be safe. When you did, I knew that I had made the right choice.”

Eli buried his face in his hands, then ran his hands up his face to bury them in his hair. He should have expected this from Thrawn by now. “Okay, so you saw me and decided that you wanted me specifically as your companion. Tell me, smart guy, what if someone else had volunteered?”

“Oh, I thought of that,” Thrawn stated calmly. “Had another volunteered, I would have deemed them unworthy or said that they were not what the dragon was looking for. No, Eli, it was always going to be you that I wanted. Besides, can you really deny that you have enjoyed my company?”

Truthfully, Eli couldn’t. Even if Thrawn had wanted Eli from the start, Eli had still willingly volunteered, thinking at the time that he’d been going to his death. And afterwards, he had willingly decided to stay with Thrawn rather than try to escape. It wasn’t as if he’d never had the opportunity to run from the dragon.

“No, I can’t,” Eli admitted. In fact, he’d more than enjoyed Thrawn’s company. He wanted to spend every second with the dragon. He’d actually cuddled up to him last night because his bed had felt so lonely, and he wanted to keep being close to him after they’d gone flying together.

Eli had been denying how he truly felt, though.

Reaching up, he gently laid his fingers against Thrawn’s cheek, brown against blue. He leaned up and Thrawn met him halfway, their lips brushing together. It quickly turned into a kiss.

Eli felt lightheaded. He was kissing Thrawn. He was kissing a _dragon_. Even if the dragon was in humanoid form, that didn’t change the fact that he was a dragon. Eli told that part of himself to be quiet, and just enjoy this. And enjoy it he did.

When the kiss ended, Eli whispered, “Are you sure about this? I mean, I’m not a dragon.”

“That matters not,” Thrawn whispered, in between more kisses. “That you are human doesn’t negate anything. What’s important is that it’s you I want, Eli.”

Which was good enough for Eli. They locked lips again. Eli’s arms wrapped around Thrawn’s shoulders, while Thrawn’s hands went to the human’s waist. Thrawn’s tongue brushed across Eli’s lips, and Eli allowed him entry, moaning into his mouth as the other man deepened the kiss. Eli began sucking on Thrawn’s tongue, which got a moan from him in return. Eli liked that noise, and wanted to hear him do it again.

Hands went under his shirt, cool fingers brushing across his bare skin. Thrawn then began lifting Eli’s shirt off and they had to part lips again so it could be pulled up over his head. Thrawn tossed the shirt onto one of the beds, and then pulled Eli close, their chests rubbing together. Thrawn, as usual, was shirtless. Eli shuddered and wrapped his arms around Thrawn, relishing the feeling of bare skin touching. He felt his groin begin to stir with arousal.

Without even looking over his shoulder, Eli took Thrawn by the wrist and pulled him towards the bed. Thrawn went willingly.

When they reached the bed, Eli lay down on his back and Thrawn crawled on top of him. Those glowing eyes shined with desire as Thrawn gazed at Eli, the human hypnotized by their gaze. Thrawn buried his face in Eli’s neck, licking him, and causing Eli to shiver. Eli’s hands went to Thrawn’s pants and slid them halfway down, along with his underwear. Thrawn sat up so he could get them all the way off, leaving him completely naked. Eli glanced down so he could see Thrawn like this for the first time ever, curiosity lacing his desire.

Thrawn’s cock didn’t look too different from a human’s, except for the ridges lining the underside. It was already turning purple and getting hard. Eli shivered to think of what it would feel like inside of him. He also wondered if it looked different when Thrawn was in dragon form.

Blue hands went to the human’s pants and it wasn’t long before Eli was just as naked. Thrawn’s eyes glanced down at Eli’s own cock, no doubt just as curious as Eli had been. The dragon gave an approving nod, making Eli’s face heat up.

“I think I oughta let you know,” Eli smiled nervously. “I’m not a virgin.”

“Nor am I,” Thrawn stated, tilting his head at Eli. “Why should that matter?”

“Well, in the stories, dragons seemed to have a thing about virgins. I mean, usually it was for sacrificial purposes, and not… y’know, this.”

Thrawn smirked. “I think we both know by now that such stories weren’t entirely accurate.”

“Good point.” Yet, this was going to be a first for them both in terms of interspecies intercourse. The idea made Eli’s heart speed up.

Thrawn lowered himself back down, laying on top of Eli, and kissed him again. Eli ran his fingers through Thrawn’s blue-black hair, opening his mouth and inviting Thrawn to deepen the kiss, which he did. He moaned into the dragon’s mouth as his lover began to rub their groins together, their cocks brushing across one another’s. Eli raised his hips, arousal surging through him as he rubbed against Thrawn’s cock.

He felt something slick against his groin and confusion went through him for a moment. Then he realized that the dragon’s cock was producing its own slick. How convenient.

The kiss turned possessive, Thrawn biting Eli’s lower lip while his hand slid under his head, tangling in his hair and keeping his head in place. It was a kiss meant to express lust, while also claiming Eli with his mouth. Eli’s cock twitched in between their bodies, desire stirring in his groin and pooling in his gut. Thrawn broke the kiss so they could breath, only to lower his head again so he could bite Eli on the neck, causing Eli to gasp. Thrawn bit hard enough to leave teeth marks, but not draw blood, thankfully.

The dragon gazed down at Eli, his eyes glowing brightly with desire. “On your stomach,” He growled. “Now.”

Eli did as told, gently pushing Thrawn away just enough so that he could flip over. He shivered when Thrawn ran a hand down his back, long fingers gliding over his muscles. Then that hand settled between his shoulders and pinned him down onto the mattress. Eli’s cock twitched again, deeply aroused at where Thrawn was going with this. A slick finger touched his entrance, rubbing circles on it and gently prodding it. Eli tried to thrust down onto that finger, but Thrawn held him in place.

Right as Eli was about to demand he do something more than tease him, the finger finally slid inside him. Eli closed his eyes and his lips parted in a silent moan as Thrawn’s finger thrust in and out of him. Slowly, he added another finger, opening up Eli. Eli began to moan softly as he felt Thrawn’s fingers curl up inside him. His insides lit up, marvelling at how good Thrawn was with his fingers.

“So good,” Eli moaned. Good at the fingers were, though, Eli wanted more. If he was this good with his fingers, then Eli wanted to know what else he was good at. “Thrawn, please… I need you.”

“As do I,” Thrawn purred, withdrawing his fingers. Eli quivered with anticipation as Thrawn took his hand off his back and gripped him by the hips. He held Eli in place, and Eli gasped as he felt the head of Thrawn’s cock prod his entrance, much like he’d done with his fingers. It rubbed up and down between his ass cheeks, stroking over his opening, spreading his slick around. Eli bit his lip, squirming impatiently. Thrawn was teasing him again, he almost couldn’t stand it.

Then Thrawn slid into him, making him moan as he felt that glorious penetration at last. Behind him, Thrawn growled with desire, and Eli shuddered at the sound. Thrawn went all the way to the hilt, pausing for a moment to let Eli adjust. Thrawn filled him up so nicely, Eli wasn’t sure he’d ever felt this much satisfaction. His hands went to Eli’s wrists, pinning them to the bed, his grip like iron.

When Thrawn pulled halfway out, Eli groaned, feeling the ridges slide inside him, stroking him from within. Less than a second later, Thrawn thrust back in, snapping his hips forward and making Eli cry out as he was penetrated again. Thrawn began to move in and out of him, getting a steady rhythm going. Stars, he felt so good inside of him, Eli thought. It wasn’t long before Thrawn’s pace increased, fucking Eli hard and fast, obscene, wet noises filling the room, mixing with Eli’s moans and cries of “yes”. Thrawn was moaning too, though it was laced with more of those lustful hisses and growls. Eli liked those noises, and wanted to keep hearing Thrawn make them, getting no small amount of satisfaction that he was the cause of them.

Thrawn lowered himself to lay against Eli’s back, pinning him down even more and burying his face in his neck, taking a whiff of his scent. He licked Eli where his neck met his shoulder, and was now pounding hard into Eli. Stars, Eli never imagined he would be doing this with a _dragon_.

“Mine…” Thrawn whispered, his voice a lustful growl. “You’re all mine, Eli.”

“Yes…” Eli said in between moans. “Your’s.”

Eli’s pleasure rose sharply as Thrawn gave him a particularly hard thrust, making him moan even louder. With a final moan of Thrawn’s name, orgasm hit him, a massive wave of bliss surging through him as he tightened around Thrawn and spilled onto the sheets.

With a final growl, Thrawn came, no doubt triggered by Eli’s own climax. His hands tightened on Eli’s wrists, and Eli felt a gush of warmth flooding him from inside. At the same time that Thrawn came, the dragon bit Eli’s neck, and Eli might have come again just from that.

Thrawn began to slow his thrusts, but didn’t stop entirely, wanting to milk their orgasms some more. Soon, Eli relaxed against the bed with a content sigh, and Thrawn’s hips came to a halt as he lay on Eli’s back, finally releasing his wrists. He’d left some bruises there, which Eli thought was pretty hot. They were a reminder of what they had done. The dragon kissed his ear.

“You felt it when I orgasmed inside you, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Eli smiled softly. “I felt it. It felt nice.”

“Good,” Gently, Thrawn pulled out, and Eli whimpered at the loss, feeling very empty all of a sudden.

The dragon lay on his back, and Eli shifted onto his side so he could curl up with his lover. Thrawn wrapped an arm around Eli, holding him close. Eli took in the feel of his bare skin, and the smell of sweat and musk. He’d really done that. He’d allowed a dragon to mate with him. No, he’d made love to a dragon. He wondered if that was how dragon sex usually went. Eli then told the analytical part of his brain to be quiet, and just enjoy the afterglow.

“That was… wow.”

“Yes, it was immensely enjoyable,” Thrawn purred, stroking Eli’s arm.

“Stay with me?”

“I wasn’t planning to go anywhere.” Thrawn kissed the top of Eli’s head, and Eli made himself even more snug in Thrawn’s arms, laying his head on his shoulder. Feeling as warm and protected as he had in the cover of Thrawn’s wing, Eli drifted off into a peaceful sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the hiatus, everybody. Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait.

Just like yesterday morning, Eli woke up feeling warm and safe. Only instead of curled up next to a massive, scaly body in the shelter of a great wing, he was curled up next to his dragon in humanoid form, with arms wrapped around him. Eli never wanted to leave the safety of these arms. Thrawn was still asleep, and he looked oddly vulnerable and endearing when he slept in humanoid form. Eli ran his fingers over his blue chest, tracing the muscles. Thrawn stirred and his eyes fluttered open.

“Mornin’,” Eli kissed Thrawn on the shoulder. Thrawn returned the kiss, pressing cool lips to Eli’s forehead.

“Good morning, Eli.”

The two basked in each other, and Eli wanted the moment to last forever. He wanted to lay in bed all day and cuddle up to Thrawn, maybe even have sex again. His wrists were still bruised from last night. Being pinned down and fucked like that had been some of the best sex of his life. Eli didn’t think he’d ever come as hard as he had last night. It still amazed him that he’d been intimate with a dragon; the being from his childhood fairy tales, the creature that kidnapped maidens and burned villages, suddenly the object of Eli’s affection.

But then Eli’s stomach grumbled. Eli blushed and said, “Guess we should think about breakfast.”

“Indeed,” Thrawn agreed. He brushed a strand of hair from Eli’s face. “Perhaps after a shower?”

Eli smirked. “I like the way you think.”

After putting the dirty sheets in the laundry basket, Eli and Thrawn took a shared shower, during which they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. It didn’t go beyond sexual touches, and was mostly kept above the waist, but they both still enjoyed themselves. Once they were clean, they cooked breakfast together. There was something joyfully domestic about that simple action, along with sitting down to eat together. All they were missing was a copy of the newspaper.

“If you get me some more milk and flour, I can make you my famous pancakes,” Eli said, in between mouthfuls of eggs and bacon.

“I shall acquire them for you,” Thrawn promised.

“You’re sure it’s still too early for me to venture down there myself?” Eli asked. That was still the one snag in this whole deal.

“I’m afraid so, Eli,” Thrawn apologized. “Though, perhaps we may procure you a disguise, and I can pass you off as a visiting friend.”

Well, it was probably better than nothing, Eli supposed. Stars, what would his parents and cousins think if they knew what he had done last night? They had expected the dragon to kill him, not fuck him.

“So, about last night,” Eli said. “What happens now? Am I, y’know, your mate or something?”

“Hm,” Thrawn slowly chewed on some bacon, mulling his thoughts, before he swallowed his food and replied, “The act of intercourse by itself does not solidify a mating bond when it comes to dragons. The dragons must decide for themselves if there is anything more to their coupling and declare themselves mates. Sometimes when two dragons have decided to mate for life, there is a ceremony to celebrate the new bond.”

“Like a wedding?”

“In a manner of speaking. I have seen artwork depicting human weddings in this part of the world, and dragon mating ceremonies are usually much smaller affairs, shared only between the two creating the bond.”

“Huh,” The more Eli learned about dragons, the more interesting they got.

On one hand, the idea of being a dragon’s mate was exciting, because how many humans had such an opportunity? On the other hand, there was something heavy about deciding that he and Thrawn were now mates. It sounded so much more _real_ than just saying they were lovers or boyfriends. It was all happening so fast, Eli’s head felt like it was spinning.

“I might need to give it some thought.”

“I understand. There is no need to rush into anything, Eli.” Once again, Eli was grateful that Thrawn was so kind and understanding. Thrawn stood and gathered their plates and silverware. “I will take care of these.”

* * *

Eli sat near the edge of the mountain opening, which Eli had dubbed ‘the dragon exit’, looking out over the town. He couldn’t even see his house from here, but he could just make out the warehouse where his family did most of their business. Hopefully they were doing fine without him. He missed them.

Footsteps approached and Thrawn sat down beside him. Thrawn held out something to him and Eli glanced down, seeing that it was a spyglass.

“Thanks,” Eli took the offered spyglass and held it up to his eye, getting a closer look at the town. He could make out people going about their lives, doing shopping or tending their own shops, and children playing in the streets. Shifting his gaze, he spotted his family’s house. His parents were probably already going about their day. He looked out at the river, and his cousin’s boat. Apparently she wasn’t making any deliveries today, or had just come back from one. Seeing all this brought him some comfort.

Taking the spyglass away from his eye, Eli looked at Thrawn and smiled. “This reminds me of when my cousins and I would play pirates. Though, we never used a real spyglass. Rather, we rolled up papers and pretended.”

“I am glad that you like my gift.” Thrawn gave a slight smile, but it may as well be a grin.

Eli looked through the spyglass again, spotting the bakery and imagining the smell of fresh baked bread, or garlic knots that Eli loved. Once he was able to venture back down there, he would buy one for Thrawn to try.

Tilting the spyglass up, Eli looked out at the horizon to gaze at the mountains just beyond town.

Eli frowned. Through the spyglass he spotted something flying in, getting closer and closer. Something big. Something dragon-shaped.

“Hey, Thrawn, take a look at this.” 

He handed Thrawn the spyglass and he looked out at where Eli pointed. Thrawn froze, leaning forward as if he could get an even better look. “This is not good.”

A shiver went through Eli. He’d heard that bit of trepidation in Thrawn’s voice, and he didn’t like it. “What is it?”

Thrawn lowered the spyglass and looked at Eli. There was worry in his eyes. “It is a wyvern.”

“A what?”

“It is a very dangerous creature, and I fear that your hometown is in jeopardy.” He handed the spyglass back to Eli, who held the device up to his eye and looked through it again. “Wyverns are not like dragons. They are not intelligent, and are very violent. Once it reaches the town, it will smell an abundance of fresh meat and go on a feeding frenzy.”

As it flew closer, Eli got a better look at it. It looked almost like a dragon, except its proportions were more like a bird’s. It lacked forelimbs and only had wings and hind legs, as well as a shorter neck and tail. Its scales were also a dull grey, not like Thrawn’s vibrant, shimmering blue. Something about it made Eli get a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Eli scrambled to his feet. “We gotta do something”

“I agree,” Thrawn stood. “I will fight it.”

“So will I.” Thrawn blinked at Eli and opened his mouth to say something, but Eli cut him off, “That’s my hometown, and I’m gonna help defend it.”

Thrawn regarded Eli, studying him closely, all while Eli looked up at him with hard eyes, daring the dragon to argue with him.

“Very well, Eli.” Thrawn waved two fingers, “Come this way. I have something that might be of use to you.”

Relief washed through Eli, and he followed Thrawn back into his chamber. Thrawn searched through his now-sorted treasure and brought out a case about the size of a briefcase. He handed it to Eli, who opened it to reveal a crossbow and packs of arrows. Eli took the weapon out of its case to test the feel and weight of it. He lifted the weapon up and pulled the trigger, causing a _thwang_ sound to echo through the chamber.

“There is a mechanism on the side so that you may reload it easily,” Thrawn pointed to a lever on the crossbow. Eli pulled it and the bow drew right back, ready to be loaded.

The case also contained a back holster and ammo belt, which Eli put on and loaded up. Getting an idea, he told Thrawn he would be right back and ran into the kitchen. He grabbed his potions, including the gunk that was the failed cleaning solution. After a moment of consideration, he also grabbed the still untested healing potion. Taking some rags, Eli fashioned them into pouches, tied them to his belt and slid the potions inside.

Running back into the chamber, Thrawn had already resumed his dragon form and was laying on his front, ready for Eli to climb on board. Eli didn’t even hesitate as he got into position on Thrawn’s back. Thrawn stood up and walked back to the mountain opening. “Another thing, Eli,” Thrawn said. “Wyverns spit poison.”

“Not trying to talk me out of this, I hope.”

When they reached the exit, Thrawn limbered up and sprang out of the tunnel, into the sky. He shot forward like an arrow, right towards the wyvern.

The wyvern had reached town by now, casting a shadow over it and screeching, making a sound like grating metal. Eli could hear people screaming down below. His thighs squeezed Thrawn, silently begging him to fly faster. The wyvern prepared to dive down, like a monstrous bird about to snatch up prey, when Thrawn opened his jaws and Eli felt a winter wind hit him as Thrawn let forth his ice breath. The ice hit the wyvern right in the chest, making it screech again, right as Thrawn body-slammed into the monster and sent it tumbling backwards in the air. Taking advantage of the wyvern’s disorentiation, Eli shot a crossbow arrow at it. He aimed for its head, but missed and only stuck it in the shoulder, making it hiss.

The wyvern soon regained its balance, the ice breaking off its skin. Deciding that Thrawn was now a threat, the wyvern reared its head back and spit green venom at the dragon. Thrawn, reading the wyvern’s body language, dodged the venom and blew more ice at it, this time hitting it in the head. The wyvern, its jaw now covered in ice, started to writhe in the air and Thrawn used the opportunity to fly directly at it, wrapping his forearms around the creature’s body and pushing it backwards. Eli looked down and realized that Thrawn was taking their aerial battle away from town and towards the woods.

Loading another arrow, Eli shot the wyvern. This time he hit the beast in the nose, making it snarl through the ice. Feeling Thrawn’s muscles flex beneath his thighs, he held on tightly as the dragon pushed the wyvern away from him. The wyvern was much quicker to recover this time, righting itself and shaking off the last of the ice from its mouth.

Thrawn flew over the trees, the wyvern hot on his heels, while Eli shot another arrow at the beast, only for the arrow to barely graze the beast’s leg. “That thing’s just shrugging off your ice.”

“Wyvern scales act as insulation against extreme temperature. Strange that one should be so far from its home territory.”

Eli squeezed Thrawn as he dodged acidic spray from the wyvern. “Maybe we can discuss what it’s doing here later,” Eli shouted. “When we’re trying not to die. Which reminds me, how are we gonna kill this thing?”

“I have a plan.”

“Care to fill me in?”

Again, Thrawn dodged wyvern spit. “Get your potions ready. You will know what to do.”

Thrawn dipped down, slowed to a glide, and the wyvern shot over them. The beast, realizing what had happened, made a sharp turn and shot towards them. Thrawn charged right back at high speed. Eli kept expecting him to blow more ice at the wyvern or do some fancy flying, but Thrawn just kept flying straight ahead, like he was playing chicken with the thing.

“What are you doing?” Eli shouted.

“Get ready.”

Eli resisted the urge to cling to Thrawn and bury his face in his scales, fighting through his fear. He trusted Thrawn.

The wyvern reared its head back and opened its jaws wide to spit at them again.

Eli touched the potions at his belt and it came to him. He knew what to do.

Whipping the fire potion out, he uncorked it. He would only get one shot at this, so he had to wait until the wyvern was close enough before he made his move. As soon as the wyvern was close enough that Eli could smell its breath and count each tooth, he threw it as hard as he could into the beast’s maw. The wyvern gagged and reflexively swallowed the potion. 

Eli expected something to happen, but the wyvern just screeched angrily and gave a mighty lunge. To his horror, the wyvern was aiming for Eli now, no doubt intending to pluck him off of Thrawn’s back with its teeth. As Eli reached for his crossbow, the wyvern’s acid-laced breath wafted over Eli, making him cough and his eyes water.

Thrawn quickly used a forearm to shove the wyvern’s head away from Eli. Any relief was short-lived, because the wyvern retaliated by raking its claws across Thrawn’s side, and the dragon hissed in pain.

“Thrawn!”

Using his powerful back legs, Thrawn kicked the monster away from them, and it was only then that it began to stagger in midair. It let out an ear-piercing shriek as its stomach lit up. The potion had kicked in by now, reacting with the acid inside of it. Just as Eli knew it would. Thrawn had said the scales protected wyverns from extreme temperatures, so the answer was to strike the monster from within, where it wasn’t protected. Eli watched the beast fall like a heavy stone onto the forest floor.

But, he could feel Thrawn stagger too, struggling to stay afloat. The dragon slowly descended, landing near the edge of the forest, and Eli slid off of him right away. Thrawn lay on his side and Eli gaped in horror when he saw the wound. The wyvern had cut deep into Thrawn’s flesh and he was losing blood, dark red staining the glittering scales.

“Thrawn, speak to me!” Eli begged, placing his hands on Thrawn’s flank. “What were you thinking?”

“I didn’t have a good angle to breath ice on it,” Thrawn replied, his voice weak. “All that mattered was that it didn’t kill you. I overestimated how long it would take for your potion to work.”

This was all his fault. If only he’d thrown the potion sooner. If only he’d been able to shoot the monster. Thanks to him, Thrawn was wounded, possibly fatally.

It was heartbreaking to see this beautiful, amazing creature lying there, struggling to breath as he bled out. Eli wasn’t about to let him die. There was something he could do. Reaching for his belt, he drew the healing potion. Even if it was a dud and Thrawn died anyway, Eli could say that he’d done what he could.

Uncorking the bottle with his teeth and spitting out the cork, Eli poured the potion all over the wound, gently rubbing it while Thrawn hissed, watching the green substance mix with blood. Eli didn’t see any immediate change.

Setting the empty bottle down, Eli crawled over to Thrawn’s head. Red eyes struggled to stay open. Eli wrapped his arms around Thrawn where his neck met his head, tears streaming down his eyes.

“Please...Please don’t die.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “I love you.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One more short chapter to finish things off.

“Eli!”

Opening his eyes, Eli lifted his head and wiped his tears away on the back of his sleeve. It was his cousin, Amelia, running towards him. Any joy he might have felt at seeing her was drowned out by his worry for Thrawn. She stopped right in front of him, taking a moment to catch her breath before addressing him.

“Eli, what happened?” Amelia knelt by Eli, eyes scanning his body to see if he was wounded. “Are you hurt?”

“Not really,” Eli looked at Thrawn. “But he is. I gave him something but I don’t know if it’s helping.” Thrawn opened his mouth, but Eli put a hand on his snout, “Don’t talk. Save your energy.”

Amelia gazed at the wounded dragon, getting a good look at him for the first time since he flew over town. “So this is him. The dragon,” She couldn’t hide the nervousness in her voice. One red eye opened and fixed on Amelia, the eye glow much dimmer than usual. Amelia looked right into that eye, nervousness leaving her as she saw the intelligence in his gaze. This wasn’t a mindless beast, but a sentient being who was special to her cousin.

Amelia raised a hand and slowly reached out to Thrawn. After a moment of hesitation, she laid her hand on his front leg. “He’s beautiful.”

“Yeah,” Eli gently stroked Thrawn’s neck. “He’s the most beautiful creature in the world.” He leaned over to stroke Thrawn’s snout. As he moved, pain shot through him, making him gasp. With the adrenaline wearing off, Eli’s body was starting to protest from the intense flight he’d just been through. That hadn’t been like the nighttime flight over the lake, because this time Eli had to hold on even tighter to Thrawn while he swerved so he wouldn’t fall off, not to mention shoot that crossbow.

“Eli,” Amelia touched his arm. “I’ll get the doctor.”

“Tell him to look at Thrawn first,” Eli demanded. His cousin nodded and leapt to her feet to run back towards town. Even as she left, he knew that he was asking for a lot. The town doctor likely wouldn’t know how to treat a dragon. Eli leaned against Thrawn’s neck and whispered, “Hold on, please.”

* * *

Eli’s eyes cracked open and he groaned, staring up at the sterile white ceiling. His body still ached, but he was feeling much better. Amelia had kept her word and come back with the town doctor, who agreed to look at Thrawn, and Eli was carried in a stretcher to the clinic for a quick look-over. Other than the soreness and inhaling wyvern breath, he was fine, and the nurse had given him something for the pain, which had also helped him sleep.

The last few hours seemed like a dream, and it was actually weird to not wake up to a rock ceiling, covered in the quilt Thrawn had bought for him.

“Oh Eli, you’re awake!”

He looked over and saw his parents sitting next to his bed. They stood up and his mother embraced him. Eli returned the hug, despite some lingering stiffness. Much as he’d come to love Thrawn’s company, he really had missed his parents. That wyvern would have killed them, but he and Thrawn saved them, along with everybody in town.

“Thank the stars you’re alright,” Eli’s mother pulled back to look her son in the eye. “I can’t believe you helped fight that monster. You were so brave.”

“When the dragon started fighting that beast, everybody got out binoculars and telescopes to watch,” Eli’s father said. “And they saw you on his back, shooting arrows at the monster.”

“You should hear it,” His mother said, beaming with pride. “Everybody is calling you Eli the Dragon Rider. You and that dragon are heroes.”

Speaking of dragons. “Thrawn. Is he…?”

The very idea that his dragon lover was dead, that they’d been too late to save him, tore Eli up inside. Perhaps they could cremate him and give him a hero’s burial. Just not knowing was eating Eli up like the wyvern’s poison.

The door to Eli’s room opened, and any worry instantly vanished.

There stood Thrawn. The dragon was in his humanoid form again, wearing simple white pants and a matching shirt. He looked no worse for wear, and wasn’t even limping.

Eli got out of bed and met Thrawn halfway across the room, throwing his arms around him, burying his face in his neck as Thrawn returned the hug. “You’re alright,” He whispered.

“Indeed,” Thrawn pulled back and lifted his shirt to show the spot where he’d been wounded. To Eli’s surprise, it was completely healed over, with only the faintest hint of a scar. Eli ran his fingers along the blue skin. “Your potion completely healed the wound and even disinfected it. Well done, Eli.”

He’d done that. He’d saved Thrawn’s life. Eli buried his head in Thrawn’s chest and began crying again, except these weren’t tears of sorrow. “I thought I’d lost you.”

Remembering that his parents were in the room, Eli wiped his eyes and repositioned himself so that he was beside Thrawn, keeping an arm around his lover’s waist. His parents looked at him with surprised expressions. “Mom, dad, this is Thrawn. As you probably know already, he’s a dragon.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you properly, Mr. and Mrs. Vanto,” Thrawn nodded politely at them. “I apologize for the deception at the town meeting, and for keeping your son to myself for all this time. Your son was very good company to me.”

“That was a very unkind thing to do,” Eli’s father stated. “But you did save everybody, and Eli is safe.” Eli’s mother nodded.

“For the record, I’m the one who talked him into letting me join him in battle,” Eli said. “Can we talk about this later? And, can Thrawn and I have a moment alone?”

His parents looked at each other, then his mother said, “Alright.” Giving the couple one last glance, Eli’s parents exited the room, leaving just the two of them.

Eli looked up at Thrawn. “So I guess everybody knows that you’re not dangerous now, and that you can take this form,” He ran a hand up Thrawn’s chest, through the cotton shirt.

“Indeed,” Thrawn took Eli’s hand in his own, squeezing it gently. “When my wound had healed enough, I gathered the strength to shift forms, right in front of the doctor, so I could be taken to this clinic for further examination.”

“And then he probably told the mayor,” Eli pressed his forehead to Thrawn’s. “Does this mean you have to leave now?”

“Actually, in the wake of our heroics, I have been told that I am welcome in this town whenever I wish. You may move back into your old home, if you want, and return to your old profession.”

“Promise me that you’ll visit me all the time?”

“I promise. You may also visit me whenever you wish.”

Eli smiled and kissed Thrawn. He’d been so sure that he’d never get to do this again that he poured his soul into the kiss, savoring the feel of Thrawn’s lips against his own. Thrawn was alive and here to stay. Part of him would miss living with Thrawn in his mountain, but he could always spend the night there on occasion.

“Did you mean it?” Thrawn whispered against his lips.

“Hm?”

“When you told me that you loved me.”

Eli’s face heated up. “You heard that, huh?” They both knew that it was true, but it was another thing to say it out loud, especially when Eli had been convinced that it was going to be the last thing he would say to Thrawn. “Yes, I meant it. I’m still not sure I’m ready to call myself your mate, though. I think it’s still too early for that.”

“I understand. What we have right now is enough for me.” Thrawn wrapped his arms around Eli and held him close, while Eli wrapped his arms around Thrawn’s waist. They shared more kisses, pressing their foreheads to one another. There weren’t many fairy tales of someone finding love with a dragon, but they could make their own fairy tale, including the part where they lived happily ever after.

“So what are you going to do now?” Eli asked. “Maybe you could get yourself a small house here in town, and I’m sure everybody wants to hire the hero dragon.”

“I was thinking of travelling, actually. I have figured out where most of my artwork came from and wish to return the pieces to their rightful owners. You are certainly welcome to join me.”

“I’d like that.” Eli smiled. Nothing would please him more than getting to travel with his beloved. “Mom and Dad say that everyone’s calling me Eli the Dragon Rider now.”

“An apt title, if I do say so myself. You fought well, Eli.”

“Well, my body is still kicking my ass after that flight,” He stroked Thrawn’s cheek. “You know what this means, right?” Thrawn tilted his head into the touch. “You’re going to have to take me flying some more so I can get used to it.”

“It would be my pleasure, Eli.”

Eli wanted nothing more than to keep standing here, hugging and kissing Thrawn, but his body was reminding him that he needed to get back into bed and sleep for a while longer.

“Well, I should rest some more. Will you stay with me?”

“Of course.”

The two of them walked back to the berth and climbed in together, pulling the covers up over themselves. They lay on their sides, facing each other, and Thrawn held his lover close. Eli curled up with Thrawn, burying his face in Thrawn’s chest, feeling warm and safe in his arms. Hard to believe that Eli had fallen in love with a dragon, but he’d done it, and that dragon, that magnificent dragon, loved him back.

Before he drifted off to sleep, Eli whispered, “My dragon.”

“My human.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who read and commented on this, it was a blast to write. Who knows, I may even dabble in this universe again and write more of Eli and dragon!Thrawn.


End file.
